


Tomorrow

by Venn



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-07
Updated: 2015-12-07
Packaged: 2018-05-05 12:31:57
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 728
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5375303
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Venn/pseuds/Venn
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Resets lose their kick after a certain point.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Tomorrow

It used to wake Sans. Jolt him awake like fire to his very core, nerves burning and eyes tight with tears. He used to wake up gasping, flailing, jolting, fighting and calling Blasters to his side as if it would help. As if they would be able to lessen the pain of it all.

It used to be a dream.

Something Sans told himself was only momentary, something he could-- he _would_ \-- wake up from. It only took three times before the reality settled in. This was just his world, now. He remembered his life before it. Something shaking the world, the sudden feeling of being watched. And, for all Sans fought, for all he goaded and tried again, and again, to change the scenario, it always happened.

Sometimes it didn’t even end in a fight. Sometimes it was goddamn pleasant.

That were almost worse.  Sans tasted freedom, tasted the end, the happy finality that could only come from the best possible outcome. Sans could see the eternity in those timelines. Could see him happy, surrounded by others on the surface. Staring at the stars, sharing ice creams, _swimming_ , for all Sans cared.  
  
He could fucking _feel it_.

And then, like every time before it, there was a jolt. A rip, right behind his ribcage, like an industrial-steel metal hook had been inserted. Then a pull, and Sans was yanked back.

It didn’t even jar him, anymore.

Sans opened his eyes. He stared at the ceiling of his room, smelled the ancient socks he kept around just to see if they would form a SOUL by pure willpower of stench.

He saw the void in that ceiling. He saw the end, the beginning; Saw the little human with too-long bangs and a striped shirt waking in a bed of flowers, rubbing their head, and wandering into the ruins.

He saw Papyrus collapsing, saw him excelling, saw him failing, saw him succeed. He saw him in a race car and in the cold, damp cellar of Alphys’ laboratory.

Sans _felt_ like dust. Holding a hand out in front of him, Sans stared at the joints of his fingers, watched them bend as he clenched fist, heard them pop as he straightened them.

Papyrus was singing downstairs. He was always singing downstairs. Every time Sans woke up, it was to singing. It was nice.

Still a lot of negative to make up for, though.

Closing his eyes, Sans took a breath, rubbed over his chest, could have _sworn_ he’d felt a scar there, and slid out of bed. It would keep happening. There was nothing Sans could do about it, nothing he _wanted_ to do about it. He could kill the human before they got far enough to even meet Papyrus, but..

Sans knew he wouldn’t. He’d just feel it again, and then he’d wake up. It was better to make the best of the day given to him. Maybe the human would get what they so desperately wanted. Maybe whatever was watching them would be satiated. Maybe Sans would get to see tomorrow.

Until then, he tugged his hoodie higher onto his shoulders and dragged a smile onto his face, optimism rising in his chest. It was fake, but he was good at that by now.

“oh, sweet, bro, you made me breakfast,” Sans called from the top of the stairs.

“I DID NO SUCH THING, SANS! TODAY IS A BIG DAY FOR ME!” Sans couldn’t help but smile. His brother really was something. Slowly, he made his way downstairs.

“aw, c’mon, bro,” Sans drawled, settling in the door frame to the kitchen. “i think i’m running a femur.”

“SANS! YOU KNOW IT IS PHYSICALLY IMPOSSIBLE-- WAIT!” Papyrus whipped around.

Sans’ grin grew.

“HOW DARE YOU SANS YOU HAVE NO IDEA HOW EXHAUSTING IT IS TO LISTEN TO YOU EVERY DAY DAY IN DAY OUT I CANNOT BELIEVE YOU WOULD TAINT MY MORNING WITH ANOTHER RIDICULOUS PUN A FEMUR IS A STRETCH ANYWAY ARE YOU THAT DESPERATE FOR ANATOMY-BASED PUNS THAT YOU MUST ANTAGONIZE ME, THE AMAZING PAPYRUS, DURING MY DARKEST HOUR I MUST PREPARE FOR DUTY TODAY AND TRAINING LATER AND YET YOU CONTINUE TO HAUNT ME WITH…”

Make the best of the day given to you. Sans didn’t have much hope for the future, but maybe he’d get to see tomorrow.   
  
A tomorrow with better puns, ideally.

**Author's Note:**

> oh hey. don't mind me, just... casually entering the undertale fandom. with this. mostly san-centric rumblings because i identify with this skeleton-atlas
> 
> bc he has the world on his shoulders get it


End file.
